UVM Foundation President and CEO Rich Bundy is leaving at the end of the year to become vice president for development and alumni relations at Pennsylvania State University, his alma mater.

Bundy served as the UVM Foundation's first president and CEO when the organization was incorporated in 2011. The foundation has had six consecutive years of record-setting fundraising under his leadership, including the three largest gift commitments in UVM history. The highlight was last month's announcement of the lifetime contributions and bequest giving totaling $100 million from Dr. Robert Larner.

Other signature accomplishments for the UVM Foundation included the completion of the Alumni House, and a doubling of endowed faculty positions.

"The University of Vermont is deeply grateful for the unprecedented support we've received from the UVM community of alumni, family and friends and their significant investments in academics, research and infrastructure under Rich Bundy's leadership," Tom Sullivan, president of the University of Vermont, said in a statement.

Sullivan credited the success of the UVM Foundation with helping UVM become one of the nation's best public research universities. Launched in October 2015, the foundation's fundraising effort, "Move Mountains: The Campaign for The University of Vermont," has raised more than $383 million of its $500 million goal. The money will go to support four areas: student financial aid, faculty endowments, new and renovated facilities and academic programs.

The campaign will end in June 2019 and is more than a year and a half ahead of its fundraising schedule.

Bundy said leaving the UVM Foundation was one of the most difficult decisions he's ever made. He said returning to work at his alma mater was the only other position he would consider over the UVM Foundation.